SRC

Background Systematic reviews and other types of evidence syntheses use rigorous methods to identify and synthesise all of the relevant evidence to answer a question. A robust search strategy is crucial to conducting a high quality evidence synthesis, as an inadequate search may miss relevant evidence and produce biased findings. Methodological recommendations endorse searching for ‘grey literature’, i.e., reports published outside of traditional commercial publishing. However, there is currently a lack of clarity about what is considered to be the relevant types of grey literature and how to deal with it.Objectives This survey will aim to answer three questions: (1) How do those conducting evidence syntheses on environmental health and toxicology (EHT) topics understand ‘grey literature’; (2) Where do they search for grey literature?; (3) How do they deal with included grey literature evidence?Methods Participants will be individuals who conduct systematic reviews and evidence syntheses in EHT, without restrictions on: previous experience in conducting evidence synthesis, age, gender or geographic location. Survey will be disseminated via relevant professional organisations, systematic review and evidence synthesis organisations, and social media. It will consist of a mix of demographic and content questions. Descriptive statistics will be reported as frequencies and percentages; free-text responses will be analysed thematically.Ethics The survey was exempted from a requirement to undergo ethics review. The first page of the survey will provide the respondents with information about the project and ethics approval; respondents will provide consent by clicking on a button to advance to the survey.

Introduction:Bacterial vaginosis, resulting from vaginal microbiota imbalance and lactobacilli depletion, is the leading cause of abnormally appearing discharge in reproductive-aged women. Bacterial vaginosis is also associated with risk for sexually transmitted infections, preterm birth, and pelvic inflammatory disease. This meta-analysis assessed the association between the risk of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and body mass index (BMI).Methods:We systematically searched electronic databases using terms for weight, vaginosis, obesity, and BMI. We also reviewed gray literature, reference lists, and trials registries and sought the advice of experts. We calculated the overall odds ratios (OR) and the 95% confidence intervals (CI) using fixed-effect model for homogenous data and random-effects models for heterogenous data.Results:Eight observational studies (n = 22 190) were included, with quality assessment scores ranging from 7 to 9. Compared with normal-weight women (BMI 18.5–24.9), underweight women (BMI <18.5) had significantly higher prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (OR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.12–1.36; P < 0.001). No significant associations were found for overweight (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.95–1.48; P = 0.13) or obesity (OR: 1.29; 95% CI: 0.91–1.82; P = 0.15).Conclusion:Our findings suggest a significant association between underweight status and an increased likelihood of being diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis. However, causality cannot be established due to the observational nature of the included studies. Further prospective research is needed to confirm this relationship.

Epidemiology provides fundamental opportunities to protect student-athlete health. The goal of this study was to describe the epidemiology of sport-related concussion (SRC) across 8 years (2015/2016-2022/2023) and compare boys' and girls' sports for SRC incidence and SRC mechanisms. This was a retrospective cohort study performed using a statewide high school head injury surveillance system of high school student-athletes (n = 2,182,128; boys, n = 1,267,389; girls, n = 914,739). Exposures of interest included study year and boys and girls in comparable sports. Clinical incidence was calculated by dividing SRC counts in each sport by the number of participants per 100 player-seasons and presented with 95% CIs. The 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 data were included in the analysis, however caution is warranted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical incidence ratios (CIRs) were estimated for sex-comparable sports, and significance was determined if 95% CIs excluded 1.00. The authors compared mechanism of injury in boys' and girls' comparable sports with chi-square analyses (p < 0.05). Among 25,482 total SRCs, the overall clinical incidence of SRC for all boys and girls was 1.17 (95% CI 1.15-1.18) per 100 player-seasons across all years. Across all years, the overall clinical incidence in boys' sports was 1.34 (95% CI 1.32-1.36) per 100 player-seasons, and 0.93 (95% CI 0.91-0.95) per 100 player-seasons in girls' sports. Boys' sports with the highest clinical incidence included football, ice hockey, and wrestling. Girls' sports with the highest clinical incidence included basketball, soccer, lacrosse, competitive cheer, and gymnastics. Girls consistently had higher SRC rates relative to boys for baseball/softball, basketball, and soccer (CIR range 1.65 [95% CI 1.41-1.93] to 3.32 [95% CI 2.67-4.16]). Girls had lower SRC in lacrosse in 2015/2016 (CIR 0.63, 95% CI 0.40-0.97); no difference in 2016/2017-2020/2021, but had higher clinical incidence in 2021/2022 (CIR 1.69, 95% CI 1.18-2.44) relative to boys. In boys the most common mechanism of SRC occurred from person-to-person contact (n = 8752, 62.8%), whereas girls commonly sustained SRC from person-to-object contact (n = 2369, 33.4%) and from person-to-person contact (n = 2368, 33.4%). There were significant associations between boys' versus girls' sports and mechanism of injury within baseball/softball (χ2 = 12.71, p = 0.005); basketball (χ2 = 36.47, p < 0.001); lacrosse (χ2 = 185.15, p < 0.001); and soccer (χ2 = 122.70, p < 0.001). These findings can help understand the potential impact of interventions aimed at preventing or reducing SRC. Including girls' sports within this study extends research for a largely underrepresented group.

Protected areas are typically managed as a network of sites exposed to varying anthropogenic conditions. Managing these networks benefits from monitoring of conditions across sites to help prioritize coordinated efforts. Monitoring marine vessel activity and related underwater radiated noise impacts across a network of protected areas, like the U.S. National Marine Sanctuary system, helps managers ensure the quality of habitats used by a wide range of marine species. Here, we use underwater acoustic detections of vessels to quantify different characteristics of vessel noise at 25 locations within eight marine sanctuaries including the Hawaiian Archipelago and the U.S. east and west coasts. Vessel noise metrics, including temporal presence and sound levels, were paired with Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel tracking data to derive a suite of robust vessel noise indicators for use across the network of marine protected areas. Network-wide comparisons revealed a spectrum of vessel noise conditions that closely matched AIS vessel traffic composition. Shifts in vessel noise were correlated with the decrease in vessel activity early in the COVID-19 pandemic, and vessel speed reduction management initiatives. Improving our understanding of vessel noise conditions in these protected areas can help direct opportunities for reducing vessel noise, such as establishing and maintaining noise-free periods, enhancing port efficiency, engaging with regional and international vessel quieting initiatives, and leveraging co-benefits of management actions for reducing ocean noise.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between executive function and gait evaluations for the elderly, and validate the obstacle gait evaluation as a cognitive impairment test tool. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional design. 79 people aged 65 years or older were selected as subjects. The Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-KC) to evaluate overall cognitive function and the Trail Making Test (TMT) A, B to measure executive function were performed. The 4-meter walking speed test and the walking speed test while crossing over an obstacle were carried out to evaluate gait. The Spearman's correlation was used to measure the correlation between cognition and gait speed.

This research aimed to develop n-type nanorod structure of titanium dioxide (n-TiO 2 )/p-type cuprous oxide (p-Cu 2 O) heterojunction thin film solar cell. The nanorod-TiO 2 thin film was fabricated on FTO glass substrate using hydrothermal method by varying the volume of hydrochloric acid (HCl). The volume of HCl being manipulated in the scale of 100, 130 and 160 ml. Based on these findings, the usage of 130 ml HCl was determined to be the optimum value for the fabrication of nanorod-TiO 2 . After that, the construction of heterostructure thin film was carried out by deposition of p-Cu 2 O material on the n-TiO 2 thin film. The p-Cu 2 O was fabricated using new proposed technique, called two-steps electrodeposition method. The deposition time was varied 90, 105 and 120 minutes. Finally, the n-TiO 2 /p-Cu 2 O thin films were also characterized to determine the optimum condition. Based on the results, the optimum n-TiO 2 /p-Cu 2 O heterojunction thin films was developed at 105 minutes of electrodeposition time. The structural, morphological, topological, optical and electrical properties of each layer in n-TiO 2 /p-Cu 2 O thin films were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and Four-point probe, respectively.

Hand-to-mouth activity in children can be an important route for ingestion of soil and dust contaminated with inorganic arsenic. Estimating the relative bioavailability of arsenic present in these media is a critical element in assessing the risks associated with aggregate exposure to this toxic metalloid during their early life. Here, we evaluated the performance of a mouse assay for arsenic bioavailability in two laboratories using a suite of 10 soils. This approach allowed us to examine both intralaboratory and interlaboratory variations in assay performance. Use of a single vendor for preparation of all amended test diets and of a single laboratory for arsenic analysis of samples generated in the participating laboratories minimized contributions of these potential sources of variability in assay performance. Intralaboratory assay data showed that food and water intake and cumulative urine and feces production remained stable over several years. The stability of these measurements accounted for the reproducibility of estimates of arsenic bioavailability obtained from repeated intralaboratory assays using sodium arsenate or soils as the test material. Interlaboratory comparisons found that estimates of variables used to evaluate assay performance (recovery and urinary excretion factor) were similar in the two laboratories. For all soils, estimates of arsenic relative bioavailability obtained in the two laboratories were highly correlated (r2 = 0.94 and slope = 0.9) in a linear regression model. Overall, these findings show that this mouse assay for arsenic bioavailability provides reproducible estimates using a variety of test soils. This robust model may be adaptable for use in other laboratory settings.

Abstract Predicted increases in temperatures over the next century have raised many concerns about changes in the life history traits and geographical distributions of anadromous fishes. Anadromous fishes are particularly vulnerable to human activities due to the diverse array of habitats needed to complete their life cycle and the proximity of essential habitats to large human population centers. To understand the potential changes in spawning phenology of American Shad Alosa sapidissima and Striped Bass Morone saxatilis in the Hudson River estuary, a model was developed to estimate the onset, cessation, and duration of the spawning season through the 21st century, corresponding to projected water temperatures. Water temperatures for the Hudson River estuary were determined using recent models accepted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Model results indicate that by the 2090s, the spawning season of both species will initiate, on average, approximately 15 d earlier in the year, with spawning duration reduced by 4 d compared to the average spawning season in the 2010s.

This paper compared a coaxial silicone rubber socket and non-coaxial socket for high-performance package test. The silicone rubber socket is a kind of the elastomer test sockets consisting of metal powders in the elastomer material. The noncoaxial silicone rubber socket may have the limited electrical performances due to its pitch. Because the pitch is determined by the package's footprint. For this, the coaxial silicone rubber socket was proposed to provide the improved insertion loss and crosstalk noise. The coaxial silicone rubber socket has extra ground powders around the signal powders to configure the coaxial structure. This coaxial structure has advantages in characteristic impedance matching and crosstalk noise reduction. Therefore, this paper compared the insertion loss and crosstalk for the non-coaxial and coaxial silicone rubber socket.

In this research, pure titanium dioxide (TiO2) and doped TiO2 thin film layers were prepared using the spin coating method of titanium(iv) butoxide on a glass substrate from the sol–gel method and annealed at 500 °C. The effects on the structural and chemical properties of these thin films were then investigated. The metal doped TiO2 thin film which exists as trivalent electrons consists of aluminium (Al), yttrium (Y) and gadolinium (Gd). The anatase phase of the thin films was observed and it was found that the crystal size became smaller when the concentration of thin film increased. The grain size was found to be 0.487 to 13.925 nm. The types of surface morphologies of the thin films were nanoporous, with a little agglomeration and smaller nanoparticles corresponding to Al doped TiO2, Y doped TiO2 and Gd doped TiO2, respectively. The trivalent doping concentration of the thin films increased with a rising of thickness of the thin film. This can contribute to the defects that give advantages to the thin film when the mobility of the hole carriers is high and the electrons of Ti can move easily. Thus, Ti3+ existed as a defect state in the metal doped TiO2 thin film based on lattice distortion with a faster growth thin film that encouraged the formation of a higher level of oxygen vacancy defects.